Manufacture of various products from bituminous fuel.



V R. MAGLAURIN, MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS PRODUCTS FROM BITUMINOUS FUEL.

APPLIOATION IILED OUT. 1 4, 1914.

1 Patented Mar.2,1915.

2 UHEETS-BHEET 1.

1 1 UUMUA W mm 777M J mvemw: by dew/1W R M fiu Atty Amesm Um km d6 ipr w R. MAGLAURIN. MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS PRODUCTS FROM BITUMINOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED 00114, 1914.

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I Wmfam mwmw: Zl/MM W m Patented Mar. 2, I915.

ROBERT IVLACLAUBIN, F STIRLING, SCOTLAND.

IMNUFACTURE OF VARIOUS P RODUCIS FROIVI BITUMINOUS FUEL.

' Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Mar. a, rare.

Application filed October 14, 1914. Serial No. 866,694:.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT MACLAURIN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Homesteads Cambusbarron, Stirling, in the county of Stirling,

Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Various Products from Bituminous Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of various products from bituminous coal and the like, and its novelty consists in the several successive steps of the process used, and in the construction and adaptation of the parts of the apparatus employed in carrying out such process.

The method relates to an improvement in the known process of manufacturing gas, oil and ammonia by causing heated gas containing hydrogen to ascend througha-column of suitable fuel. Heretofore it has been custom-ary to pass all of the gas formed up through the apparatus. In such case, if the apparatus is manipulated so as to secure a.

maximum outputof gas, the temperature within the apparatus is increased to such an extent that the ammonia and oils are wholly or partly destroyed. If an attempt is made to remedy this condition by withdrawing a part of the gas relatively near the fire level and passing only a portion of it through the entire apparatus without providing means for drawing off the oils as formed, then the oils produced condense upon the upper layers of the fuel and trouble-ensues. If it is attempted to remedy this condition by working the apparatus slowly, but allowing all the gas to pass through, the oils are not carried away by the gas but condense and find their way to the lower part of the fuel body where they are partially destroyed and cause the condensation of heavy oils and tars on the upper layers of the fuel.

The purpose of my invention has been to remedythe defects stated. This I do by passing the heated gas through the fuel body, which I so arrange that it has a gradually decreasing temperature from bottom to top. Then as the products of distillation are condensed by contact with the cooler portions of the fuel body, or with the walls of the apparatus, I collect and carry off such condensable distill-ates so that they cannot run back into the hotter portions of the fuel body below. Also, when deemed desirable, I carry ofi such distillation products at different levels so that they are roughly fractlonated. At the lower-part" of the fuel, where the ammonia has to be generated, the

heat losses are minimized to the greatest possible degree, so that a deep column offuel may be maintained at temperatures between 700 C. and 500 G. by the passage of relatively small quantities of hot gas. By making the cross section of the receptacle for the fuel at this point large, and by making the walls thick and of good non-conducting material, this purpose is effected. The gas bemg passed up at this point must contain a considerable percentage of hydrogen. The presence of a large percentage of hydrogen in the gas being passed up through this re-.

gion is conducive to the best yield of am monia, therefore I do not propose using gases containing less than fourteen per cent. of hydrogen; gases containing higher per-- centages are quite easily obtainable.

In the drawings, there is illustrated in Figure 1 one preferred form of apparatus suitable for use in carrying out the process and in Fig. 2 a somewhat modified second form, both being vertical sectional views, partly diagrammatic in character.

In Fig. 1, 10 represents the lower portion of an apparatus made of brick or any suitable non-heat conducting material, and which is in effect a gas producer. 11 indicates a grate belowwhich are arranged inlet openings 12 for the introduction of air, steam or water vapor supplied by any means usual to the art. This portion 10 may be of any convenient size and shape in cross section and may be provided with any of the usual attachments and adjuncts common to the art. A gas escaping conduit is indicated at 18 and spy-holes or poke holes at 14, 14.

The interior of the apparatus may be constricted as indicated at 15. Two imaginary lines 00 and y drawn across the lower part of the figure, indicate a theoretical division of the lower part of the apparatus into zones or chambers. The upper portion of the appature 22. Interiorly the body 20 is provided with means for collecting and carrying off the condensed products of distillation. In the form of apparatus described, the particular means employed consists of frustoconical collecting plates 26 and 27 having central apertures indicated at 28 and 29 which apertures are intended to permit of the passage of the fuel. Conduits 30 and 31 connecting with the collecting plates are adapted for drawing off the liquids therein.

Fender plates indicated at 32 and 33 are ar-' ranged in proximity to the collecting plates and serve to prevent the passage into the space between the wall 20 and such collecting plates of particles of fuel or other solid materials. The fender plates may be made of any suitable size and material but should be foraminous'in character. I have shown two forms one 32 horizontally arranged, and another 33 obliquely arranged, but it is obvious that any convenient arrangement for any particular use may be employed provided the desired function is preserved.

It will be understood of course that a proper kind and quality of fuel is 1ntroduced into the interior of the apparatus through the hopper at the top and 1s suitably distributed by the spreader 25 and passing downwardly by its own welght practically fills the apparatus restlng upon the grate 11. This fuel being ignited, air under pressure with steam or water vapor is introduced through the inlet opening 12 beneath the grate and the operation commences. Gases of various kinds "are then produced, also ammonia and oils of different' specific gravity, all of these products passing upwardly through the fuel body toward the dischargeoutlet 36, their passage being facilitated if desirable by a suction or ejecting apparatus employed at that place. v

The apparatus shown, may, for purposes of convenience, be considered as being divided into a series of superimposed zones or chambers indicated at m, n, 0, p, Q and r respectively. In the lowermost chamber m, be-

I about l200 perature should neath the plane of the line 9 there occurs the most active combustion and the temperature in this chamber should ran e from Oat the grate-to about 700 C. at the plane ofthe line This combustion can be controlled byvarying the amount of steam, or altering the saturation of the air introduced beneath the grate. This chamber m may be termed the gas producing chamber. I do not confine myself to one method of heating the gas. The chamer it includes the space between the planes of the lines 1 and It may be termed the ammonia generating chamber. Its temgradually decrease from the level of the plane 3 to at the level of the plane at.

about 700 C. at about 500 C.

To obtain a good yield of ammonia the rate of combustion should be such, and the depth of the fuel column such, that the fuel will occupy not less than four hours in passing through this chamber. The gas being passed up :must contain a considerable percentage of hydrogen. This can be assured by controlling the saturation of the air supply to the fire below; the percentage of hydrogen in the gases should not be allowed to fall below fourteenper cent. The chambers 79 and g are filled with fuel, the distillate collecting devices being located practically at the bottoms of the chambers 77 and q. The temperature of the fuel column gradually decreases from 500 C. at the level of the plane 00 to the top of the fuel. The chamber 0 may be regarded as a heavy oil distilling chamber and the chambers 79 and q-as distilling, condensing and collecting chambers. The chamber 7' within the hopper may be regarded as a preliminary heating, distilling and condensing chamber.

It should be noted that the lower part of the apparatus in which the gas and ammonia are generated is relatively wide and its walls relatively thick, while the upper part of the apparatus in which condensation and collection of the oils takes place, has also relatively wide walls but made of thin conducting material, preferably metal. his construction keeps down the loss of heat at the center of the fuel column where distillation is taking place and the Width keeps down the pressure of the blast necessary to promote the passage of the gas through the fuel, at the same time it secures a radiation of heat where condensation is desired and that the mass of fuel should be of lower temperature. I In the use of the apparatus described, the air and-moisture generate gas in the chamber m and a portion is allowed to pass upward through the apparatus. Such portion is regulated to maintain the requisite temperatures in the fuel column. The heat generated causes the distillation of oily products in the fuel and as these reach the cooler parts of the fuel column they are condensed partly on the fuel and partly on the walls of the upper part of the apparatus and flowing downward by gravity are collected upon the plates 26 and 27 and flow into the conduits 30 and 31 and are thence removed. Such collection and carrying off of the condensed distillates prevents them from running back onto the more highly heated part of the fuel. The described arrangement therefore provides for the simultaneous and continuous production and collection of gas, ammonia and oil.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the apparatus may be used in various ways. Simultaneously with the introduotion of air and water vapor into the lower chamber, there may be introduced gas or tar oils to enrich the resulting gas. When producer gas is to be made, part of it may be immediately removed through the outlet 13 or part of the fuel can be degasified and the resulting coke removed before it is destructively acted upon by the blast.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a modified form of the apparatus in 'which there is only one chamber for the condensation and collection of the products of distillation. This form of a paratus is preferred for the pro duction of illuminating gas and coke as well as oil and ammonia. In this device, 10 is, as before, the lower portion of the apparatus having walls of thick non-heat conducting material, and 20 is the upper portion of the apparatus having walls of relatively thin heat conducting material. 11 is the grate, 12, 12 are inlet conduits for the introduction of air or the like, 130 is a gas outlet, 14, 1 1 are poke holes or peep holes and 16 is a passageway provided with a door indicated at 17 for the withdrawal of the coke, while 18 is a valve-controlled inlet passage. As before, .w and y indicate planes determining the limits of the ammonia producing zone. In the upper portion of the apparatus 26 is the distillate collecting plate and 31 is the carrying ofi conduit connected therewith. In this construction, the aperture 28 is controlled by a foraminous conical valve 40 having a stem 11. This valve also serves as a spreader for the fuel. 30 is a discharge conduit, 21 is the top of the upper portion of the apparatus, 2 1 is the fuel feeding hopper, and 25 is a spreader valve at its discharge orifice. In addition, the upper portion of the apparatus 20 is provided with gas escaping apertures indicated at 42 and one or more downwardly projecting partitions 43 which serve to facilitate the condensation of the distilled oil and guide it to the collecting plates 26, at the same time serving to guide and direct the movement of the fuel downward through the apparatus. In this form of apparatus, a convenient diameter for the lower portion, in a plant dealing with one ton of fuel .per hour, is between eight and ten feet, while the walls of this part of the apparatus should be relatively thick, for instance, not less than two feet. In using this form of apparatus for making illuminating gas, a simple method is to run up the temperature of the whole mass of fuel in the lower chamber to about 50 C. above the best working temperature and draw off the producer gas through the outlet 130.

This outlet is then closed and coal gas or water gas is. introduced under the grate bars and drawn oil through the outlet 36 until the temperature of the fuel column falls to such a degree as to seriously reduce the rate of formation of ammonia. The gas supply is then turned off and the air turned on. The gas passing away by the outlet 130 is practically free from ammonia as the produce'r gas made at this stage carries little or no hydrogen. The body of fuel in the producer serves to store the heat and allows the period of gas production to be prolonged. When water gas is blown in at the bottom of the apparatus which may be conveniently done through the inlet 18, suitable oils may be blown in for the enrichment of the gas drawn off throughthe outlet 36 and to improve the coke obtained. The outlet 16 serves for drawing off low temperature coke. If a harder and denser coke is desired, the incandescent bed of fuel is made deeper and the coke is drawn off after being in the hotter zone for a considerable time.

What I claim is:

1. The process of simultaneously producing gas, oil and ammonia from a body of bituminous fuel, which consists in passing upward through the fuel highly heated gas containing at least fourteen per cent. of

hydrogen, whereby there is produced in the fuel a temperature decreasing upwardly from about 700 centigrade to normal, conserving the heat in the lower zone of the fuel body where ammonia is produced, degasifying the fuel above such zone and permitting the oils produced to condense on the walls of the containing chamber and cooler portions of the fuel and removing it therefrom at or near the place of such condensation.

2. 'An apparatus for the manufacture of oils from bituminous fuels and the like, comprising a grate, a lower portion surrounding the same and consisting of non-conducting material, an upper portion secured to the lower portion and consisting of conducting material, and means for collecting and carrying off the condensed oils from the upper portion, consisting of inwardly and upwardly projecting plates secured to the walls of the apparatus.

3. In an apparatus for the production of' condensed oily distillates from bituminous fuel, means for collecting such distillates consisting of a plate or plates secured to and projecting upwardly and inwardly from the walls of the apparatus and comprisin a collecting well between the upper sur ace of such plates and the apparatus wall.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses ROBERT MACLAURIN. Witnesses:

KATE TUDHOPE, J AMES C. BUNTEN. 

